The inspiration It is the most capricious and the number 2 enemy of a photographer (the first is laziness 😉 ). Unfortunately it is not uncommon, it will surely appear several times along your photographic path, but nothing happens 🙂 . The important thing is not to let it settle in our lives, that it teach us something every time it appears, and that we have the tools to get out of it when it happens.
propose goals and challenges Learning short term, is a wonderful way to break from lack of inspiration. How about learning to photograph soap bubbles? You don’t need great knowledge or complicated logistics, but it can help you work the creativity, your camera settings, not to mention the wonderful images you can get. Do you dare to continue reading? Let’s see how it’s done 🙂
The key figure: Your helper
To begin with, I’m here to tell you that I can’t quite imagine the scene with the soap bubbles without an assistant to make them while you photograph them. Surely you could do it alone, but it would be a complete stress 😉 , so if you have someone to help you, much better, so you can focus on chasing, focusing and framing your bubbles, which I already told you that requires some agility .
Types of soap bubbles
Yes, I haven’t gone crazy, so a priori I can think of at least two types of soap bubbles that you can photograph.
- The classic bubbles made by pomperos and that we have all used as children (and not so much), which result in small and perfectly rounded bubbles.
- The large-scale bubbles that can be seen in many cities made by street artists of large size and variable shapes.
Just as the former are easy to find in any kiosk or children’s store, the latter will have to be made by you. But don’t worry, there are many tutorials on the net that perfectly explain how to do it, from the proportions of the mixture (water, dish soap and hair gel) to how to make the pomper with two sticks and a string.
Here is a video that shows it.
Oh, and if you have children or do children’s sessions, remember that you can also get different toys or machines that make bubbles automatically and in large quantities, like this:
And if you don’t just get clear with the mixor with the pompero on a large scale, you can buy it all done, for example this one.
Well, now yes, we are going to see some practical tips to photograph soap bubbles with good results.
The bottom
Find a fund enhancement the soap bubble, preferably in a somewhat dark tone so that the contrast is greater and helps you give it prominence.
Also remember the importance of a background without distractions, so before starting your session find a suitable place.
Help yourself with the composition
Negative space can help you compose the image respecting the prominence of the bubble.
The rule of thirds, surely you already know it, says that in the image there are some “strong points” where the gaze is naturally directed. Try to use it in some of your images, it will help you order the image and enhance your protagonist.
The odd rule tells us that the odd elements create greater interest in the viewer, specifically the groups of three items.
Reflexes
It is surely one of the aspects that will give you more play when you want to photograph soap bubbles. The rounded and curved shapes of the bubble can create interesting fish-eye perspectives.
play with the opening
Remember that a wide aperture (small value) is related to shallow depth of field and the ability to isolate the protagonist of your image from the background with blur.
In contrast, a small aperture (large value) increases the depth of field allowing you to focus on the different planes of the image.
Add a human element
We have already discussed the importance of the human element in photography, how we empathize, create history and narration and add interest through it. Since you already have a helper to make your bubbles… why not ask him to make you a little model? 😉
shutter speed
Since the bubble is an element in movement, you will have to take it into account when choosing the speed with which you are going to work. Remember that the minimum speed depends on the focal length you are using (the longer the focal length, the more speed you need), but an approximate speed of 1/250s with a medium range focal length will surely be more than enough for you.
However, do tests with the light you have available, and check that the bubble is not moved by enlarging the image on the screen before continuing.
shooting mode
Once you have established your speed, you can configure your camera in option semi-automatic for me to give speed priority and make any aperture adjustments you feel are necessary.
And of course, if you want work in manualyou will be able to control all the parameters of the shot yourself and I will always, always recommend this option when you have some ease with your camera ;-).
focus mode
Since we are talking about a moving element, the best shooting mode would be AF-C or AI Servociting our article Detailed guide: How to configure the focus of your photo camera according to the Photo you want to take:
They are used to photograph moving subjects. This system will focus on what moves in front of the lens and will track as long as we have the shutter button pressed halfway. Once we decide to take the picture, we just have to press the shutter all the way down.
shoot in burst
This way you will have more opportunities to “catch” the bubble just at the moment you want or even during the entire process.
black and white
Give your images a different touch by converting them to black and white as well, look for more formal compositions, light, contrast, shadows, etc.
Sunrise or sunset light
That it is the most photogenic light is no secret, the laterality of the light rays of the first and last hours of the day will help you enhance the volume of the bubble and fill it with warm tones.
What? Are you already calling your best friend, your partner, waiting for your son to get out of school to lend you a hand in your bubble session? TRUE? 😉 Don’t forget that learning new things stimulates creativity and removes the lack of inspiration from our photographic soul.
I hope it has been useful to you and that you share it on social networks so that someone else can benefit from it (Facebook, Instagram, Google+ or Twitter). Thank you and see you soon :-).